


Hunted

by Onlymostydead



Series: Hunter/Hunted [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Adult/Teenager relationship, Alcohol Abuse, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Breakups, Disordered Eating, Endgame Revalink, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Underage Sex, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Paranoia, Self-Injury Mention, The Scary Warnings are Not Graphic, Trans Link, Trans Male Character, cursing, drug mention, graphic vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-01 13:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16765735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: (The Adult/Teenager dynamic is not healthy, sexy, or ever displayed as such other than in a hurt state of mind. I don't condone that.)Revali knows that he needs to get away from Ganondorf, that the relationship is ruining his life... But he can't.Link knows there's something going on with Revali. He's been scared for his friend for a while now, but things are starting to get worse.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is gross. Also, t's gross. Please, please. Look at the warnings. Stay safe.

Revali hadn't felt safe in months. Ever since that night with Ganondorf, when he admitted that he knew everything all along, a certain panic filled his bones at every waking second.  
The worst part was that it was his fault. Everyone told you from the moment you were young enough to be in danger and old enough to understand not to have sex, not to drink, and certainly not to get involved with adults at the age of sixteen. Sure, he'd been doing it since he was younger, but that didn't help his case at all; if anything, it was worse. 

But he had done it. And now he was paying for it.

Wiping his lips, Revali coughed at the burning taste of liquor on his tongue. He never got used to it, never started liking the taste. These days they rarely went to the sleazy little gay bar, where the bartender knew his preference for sweet, sugary things, so his alcohol had been a lot less palatable and a lot more effective.  
Oh, and he had broken another one of his rules, too; as if everything else wasn't enough. Somewhere along the line he started drinking on weekdays, during school hours. Not enough that his grades were dropping... Too much. Those still had to be perfect, but he drank enough that he felt a little more numb as he moved throughout the day. It was nice, in a way. In another, he hated it.

He hated breaking all of his rules.

Revali's phone chimed, and he groaned as he fished it out of his jacket pocket. 

(Gan): Are we still up for tonight?

(Revali): You bet <3

He hated it. He hated the way he had to send little hearts and happy text, he hated the nice way he had to talk to Ganondorf. Every time he talked to him he could taste bile, and wondered if Gan could taste it when they kissed.  
He hoped he could. If so, maybe he would leave him alone. Revali had loved it at first, the attention, the compliments, and now they just made him feel sick.

Coughing once more, Revali hid the bottle and unlocked the bathroom stall. He washed his hands quickly, just on principle of being in a bathroom, then dropped the bottle in the trash on his way out.

Alcohol, check. Next step: fourth hour.

***

"Hey, Revali? Earth to Revali, come in Revali." Daruk waved a hand in front of his face, startling Revali back into the cafeteria.

He jumped in his seat. "What? Did I miss something."

"No, but we miss having you here with us." Zelda picked up without missing a beat. "Having that rough of a morning and you haven't even started bitching to us about it?"

Revali shrugged. "It hasn't been so bad, I'm just tired."

"Hell yeah you are." Link signed, grinning from ear to ear. "You're wearing the hickey scarf."

"For the last time, Link." He seethed. "This is not a hickey scarf."

Link shrugged, and went back to chowing down on his sandwich. Revali was just about to let his eyes drift closed when...

"Are you alright?" Mipha placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Revali nodded. "Fine. Just tired."

Link frowned. "You're sure?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He scoffed. "I'm fine, nothing's going on."

Daruk raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. Oh, did you take good notes in Chem?"

"Of course I did." Revali rolled his eyes.

"Great! Can I take a picture of them? I had to help Ms. Darry with those posters, and I missed the first half of class." 

He rifled around through his backpack, found the notebook, and slid it across the table. "Sure, knock yourself out."

Daruk took a couple of pictures, then slid the notebook back. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." 

"Let me guess," Link slid himself nearly halfway down the table. "You already have weekend plans?"

Revali rolled his eyes, and glanced down at his chipped fingernail polish. "Yeah, why?"

He had to stop picking at his nails, keeping them nice had been one of his rules, once.

Sighing, Link slid back into his seat. "It's been forever since we've been able to do something outside of school."

Ganondorf's face flashed across Revali's mind. "Yeah, well, I've been busy."

"With your secret boyfriend?" Link smirked.

"No. Because I don't have a secret boyfriend." He scoffed. "Because I'm busy. You know how my parents get."

"Yeah, I know how they'd get if they figured out about your secret boyfriend."

"Would you shut up about that?" Revali groaned. "I don't have a secret boyfriend."

Why did Link have to be so cute when he argued? Never mind. Ignore that feeling, and think about Gan. He didn't really hate him, really. He was just... Difficult. Yeah, that was it.

"Is it just a friends with benefits type thing?" Zelda snorted, shocking Revali back into the conversation.

"No!" He snapped. "I'm not in any form of secret relationship."

Link frowned. "You're getting defensive."

"You're getting offensive!" Revali countered. "Besides, what would make you think that?"

Damn Link and his gorgeous face.

"You haven't been around much lately." Zelda commented.

Urbosa shrugged. "You've been texting someone, but you won't tell us who."

"I mean-" Daruk swallowed the food in his mouth. "You haven't had any free time in months."

"You limp a little, when you walk." Mipha added, turning away to hide her face.

Revali's face soured at that one. If Mipha said it, that meant other people noticed too. Fuck.

Link shook his head. "The hickey scarf."

"Circumstantial evidence, at best." Revali crossed his arms. "I've been busy. I'm talking to someone. And maybe I had sex. That's it. And it is not a hickey scarf."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. What are your plans?"

Revali scoffed. "Nothing interesting. I have a family thing."

"You realize that's the lamest excuse ever, right?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Believe me or don't, I don't care."

"Defensive." Link signed to Zelda.

She nodded in agreement.

Revali scoffed again, then glanced down at his phone.

(Gan): Wear the tight black dress with the zipper

(Revali): Alright

(Gan): Looking forward to tonight?

(Revali): Of course

Switching off his phone, Revali gave a deep sigh. Looking forward to it? Yeah, anything but.

***

"You look lovely, Revali." Ganondorf told him as he climbed into the car.

Shrugging, Revali pulled down the mirror. "I know. Step on it, I have a chemistry test to study for."

"Bossy." He scowled, but complied.

Revali knew he was going to pay for it later, but he couldn't bring himself to care now. He had downed another bottle of liquor after he finished his homework, and had reached the best point to be at with Gan.

Complete and utter apathy.

As long as you didn't care about anything, you couldn't make yourself care about what was happening. Of course, none of it was bad, Gan listened to him somewhat, but it all came with the not-so-subtle clue that he wasn't allowed to say no. Most of the time he didn't need to, though.  
It hurt Revali the most because there were moments he enjoyed it. He liked the attention, the praise, feeling so desired and wanted, but at the same time... It made him feel awful all the time. Ganondorf was the reason that he was drinking at school, and it wasn't likely to stop anytime soon. They had 'gotten together' at the beginning of the school year, and they were still going strong in March.

Part of Revali just wanted him to leave, but part of him knew that he'd miss Gan if he was gone. It was like walking into that sleazy little bar; something about it made him relax.  
So he sat back, breathed in the intoxicating smell of Gan's cologne, and tried to settle down.

***

(Link)

Daruk grinned. "Finally. I have only made it through today so far because I knew lunch was coming."

Urbosa rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

"Yep. And I love it." He snickered. 

"Alright, you two." Zelda shook her head. "For not being a couple, you sure are... Like that."

"I'm a lesbian!" Urbosa clarified quickly.

Daruk nodded. "And I'm.... Not a woman?" 

"We know, we know." Mipha said, sitting down and nudging Zelda. "Sorry I was late - I dropped my books in the hallway."

Zelda scoffed. "I thought that only happened in romance movies."

Link snickered. "Too bad Zelda wasn't there to pick them up for you."

"Hey!"

They all devolved into lightly shoving each other, but Link's enjoyment died off when he noticed Revali. He was staring straight forward, dead still, unblinking.  
Link would be lying if he said he wasn't in love with his best friend. Revali was beautiful and funny and arrogant as hell; he was just another person Link couldn't help loving a little too much. But recently... He was scared for him. Something didn't seem quite right. And it was definitely getting worse.

Link waved, catching Daruk's attention. He pointed to Revali.

"Hey, Revali? Earth to Revali, come in Revali." Leaning across the table, Daruk waved his hand in Revali's face.

Revali jumped in his seat. "What? Did I miss something."

"No, but we miss having you here with us." Zelda pointed out. "Having that rough of a morning and you haven't even started bitching to us about it?"

That had been a major red flag to Link. Revali always used to complain, about everything. These days? He would be tired, or in a bad mood and... Nothing. It was weird; especially the way he deflected questions. His eyes just got glazed over.

"It hasn't been so bad, I'm just tired."Revali shrugged, and as if on cue, yawned. 

He really did look exhausted. His dark blue hair was twisted up into a bun, his makeup simple and darker in color than usual. His shoulders seemed to droop, slouching down in his seat.

"Hell yeah you are." Link signed, grinning to cover up his concern. "You're wearing the hickey scarf."

Revali scowled. "For the last time, Link. This is not a hickey scarf."

Link shrugged, trying not to stare, and took a bite out of his sandwich. Revali was leaning closer to the table now, head falling to one side. His eyes were among closed when Mipha placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She asked, face pinched in concern.

Revali nodded slowly. "Fine. Just tired."

He didn't look fine. Nothing about him looked 'fine' other than the fact that he was extremely attractive. Which Link wasn't going to think about right now. He didn't look alright; that was a better way to put it.

"You're sure?" Link signed, pursing his lips.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm fine, nothing's going on." He said quickly.

Defensive, Link thought to himself.

Daruk frowned. "Alright then. Oh, did you take good notes in Chem?"

Revali scoffed. "Of course I did."

"Great! Can I take a picture of them? I had to help Ms. Darry with some posters, and I missed the first half of class." 

He slid the notebook across the table. "Sure, knock yourself out."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." 

Revali didn't nod off this time, but the awkward silence was... Awkward. Daruk returned the notebook after taking his photos, and they all just... Sat. And ate.

"Let me guess," Link slid down the table towards Revali. "You already have weekend plans?"

Avoiding eye contact, Revali glanced down at his fingernails. "Yeah, why?"

"It's been forever since we've been able to do something outside of school." Link pointed out, more than a little bit disappointed.

It really had been forever, and it was really starting to freak Link out. Sure, his mom didn't always let him do everything they could do, but this was getting ridiculous. He wasn't in trouble... That they knew of.

He blinked absently. "Yeah, well, I've been busy."

Link rolled his eyes. "With your secret boyfriend?"

"No. Because I don't have a secret boyfriend." He snapped. "Because I'm busy. You know how my parents get."

"Yeah, I know how they'd get if they figured out about your secret boyfriend." He scoffed.

"Would you shut up about that?" Revali clenched his jaw. "I don't have a secret boyfriend."

"Is it just a friends with benefits type thing?" Zelda teased.

"No! I'm not in any form of secret relationship." He crossed his arms.

"You're getting defensive." Link pointed out.

"You're getting offensive!" Revali squeaked. "Besides, what would make you think that?"

Zelda shrugged. "You haven't been around much lately." 

"You've been texting someone, but you won't tell us who." Urbosa glanced at her own nails.

"I mean-" Daruk swallowed the food in his mouth. "You haven't had any free time in months."

"You limp a little, when you walk." Mipha added, blushing.

Link just shook his head. "The hickey scarf."

"Circumstantial evidence, at best. I've been busy. I'm talking to someone. And maybe I had sex. That's it." He paused. "And it is not a hickey scarf!"

Link shrugged, shaking his head. "Suit yourself. What are your plans?"

"Nothing interesting." He spat. "I have a family thing."

"You realize that's the lamest excuse ever, right?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Believe me or don't, I don't care."

"Defensive." Link signed over at Zelda.

She nodded in agreement.

Revali scoffed again, then went back to his phone.

Link looked around at the others, giving them a look he hoped conveyed his concern. Everyone seemed to share the same look.

"I'll try and figure something out." Link signed, and everyone nodded.

It was time to see if his friend was alright for real.

***

Link was wide awake, lying in bed. Even though he was tired, his thoughts were racing a mile a minute. There was no way he was getting to sleep yet.

Even when Link first met Revali, he wasn't very free on weekends. He'd be free for a couple hours here, or there, but it always had to be during the day. His mom didn't like him being out too late, he would say. She didn't let him do sleepovers, either, unless they were at his house. Every Monday he would show up to school in big sunglasses and his hickey scarf, barely picking at his food.

Link had guessed that he was nursing a hangover a long time ago. It wasn't that hard to guess, really. He just was. What was weird now was the fact it was happening more often, even in the middle of the week. Like today, a Wednesday. What had started out as a thing that made Link uneasy had quickly spiraled into something completely out of control.  
He could always ask about that part, the drinking; but then there were the text messages. Link had, admittedly, looked over his shoulder once or twice and seen... Concerning messages. Unfortunately, he hadn't caught the name of the sender. They were all things like:

"Come over tonight"

"I don't care what they think, I want you"

"Wear the little red dress with the slit in the back, and keep your hair down. I want to pull it."

So... Clearly a sexual relationship, or a really weird friend. He could understand sending nasty texts to friends just to see how long their would keep it going, but that didn't seem right, either. Revali wasn't really close to anyone else... That he knew of. And he regularly said that it was nothing. That didn't sound like just a weird friend.

Link frowned, conflicted between keeping his concern to himself, telling someone, and confronting Revali about it. He knew that he couldn't keep it to himself; Revali could get hurt. If he told someone else he risked losing his trust. The only problem with confronting him was that he had no evidence. Revali had been dodging his questions and comments for months, so why would this be any different?

Rolling over in bed, Link reached for his phone.

(Link): Hey, you doing alright?

(Revali): Yeah, go to sleep

Sighing, Link put the phone back down, and closed his eyes. It would be a long night.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just read the warnings again? I want to make sure everyone's alright.

(Link)

The sleeves of Revali's blouse were long enough that they covered the entirety of his wrists, adding to his anxiety. Something was going on with him, and honestly? Link had no idea what. It was scary, the evidence he was seeing.

He just hoped he wasn't hurting himself.

Revali had been drunk at school yesterday. No matter how well he thought he played it off, Link knew. He had only realized that morning, thinking about his behavior, and it all clicked. He had been other times, too.

He kept falling asleep at weird times. Revali was never tired; he drank his death-brew coffee in the morning then was immune to any form of sleepiness. In fact, he made fun of them anytime they were tired.

And he'd been avoiding them all like the plague. Any time they had asked if he had any free time over the past few months he shot them down, getting defensive and irritable.

The question was... What was going on? Link at least thought his family situation was okay, well, as okay as you can be with seven older siblings. Beyond that, he barely knew his parents. His mom was nice, if a bit pushy and strict. His dad, according to Revali himself, was a total doormat.

Could it be something to do with them? Link had no clue. He knew about the texts, but he had no idea if there was anything more than that going on.

Revali moved, talking with his hands, per the norm, and the sleeve of his blouse shifted downward.

Link's eyes grew wide. 

Revali's skin wasn't pale by any means, but the dark bruise on his wrist showed up as plain as day. The yellowish green hue, and purple-ish blotches staining his skin... Link felt his heart race in his chest.

What would leave bruises on his wrists like that?

Link had no idea, but he knew that he had to find out, and soon. Revali, one of his best friends, was reaching a crisis point. He had to do something.  
It was hard, though, not thinking of himself as a knight in shining armor, coming in to save the day. Link, swooping in to rescue Revali, his damsel in distress, from the evil monster who hurt him.

The monster he's been texting.

He had no confirmation on that, but a sinking feeling in Link's gut told him that he was right. The texts were just too weird. It was probably a guy, someone Revali met... Maybe they really have been fucking? Rough sex might explain the bruised wrist... And the hickey scarf, no matter how much he denied that's what it was.

Link sighed, rubbing his face. It was too early for these kinds of thoughts; he would have to collect himself later. Right now, just sitting this close to Revali at lunch was making his head spin.

Revali was truly beautiful. Link knew he was biased, but he didn't care. His blue hair was naturally between waves and curls, but the way he styled it was always perfectly crisp curls or gentle waves, if it was down. Killer brows and sharp eyeliner, experimental shades of eyeshadow, bold lipsticks - Revali was someone to take risks. He never really thought about it, he just did what felt good and said 'fuck you' to everyone else. His facial features themselves were all sharp and pointy, like a hawk. His neck was long and graceful, his frame lithe and thin. Of course he had to wear that pretty navy blue blouse, tucked into a white skirt, with his signature blue scarf.

He was beautiful, and Link couldn't imagine anyone ever wanting to hurt him like that. Even just thinking about it had his blood boiling.

"Hey, Vali?" He signed to hi more privately, when he seemed to be zoning out of the conversation.

"Yeah, Link?"

When he turned his head Link got hit by the smell of his perfume, completely distracting him. Back to the moment.

He swallowed. "Are you free to work on homework together after school? We've got those Lit questions due tomorrow."

"Those are due tomorrow?" Revali's eyes widened. "I'll ask my mom, give me a second."

As Revali texted, Link bit at his lip. Revali didn't forget what day things were due; he always had it in his planner. Maybe he just hadn't checked yet today, but that was still... Scary. He'd been doing that more often recently, too.

"Yeah, she says it's fine... As long as we actually get our work done." He rolled his eyes. "And we can't stay up too late."

Link nodded. "Sounds great."

See, that wasn't so bad, he thought to himself. But still... His heart pounded in his chest. No turning back now.

***

Link slammed his Literature book shut and stretched his arms over his head. Leaning back, he finally got his back to pop.

Revali cringed. "Do you need to take a break from your binder?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Will you?"

"Probably not."

Revali shook his head, shutting his own book. "You know how bad that is for you."

Sighing, Link stripped off his hoodie. "Yeah, yeah."

Link knew that Revali had seen him topless enough times not to care as he peeled off her binder, though he was quick to put his shirt and hoodie back on.  
His mouth felt dry, his hands slow. Even though now was the time he had made to talk to Revali... He couldn't.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hands anyway. "Revali, are you really okay?"

He groaned. "You keep asking me that! I'm fine, Link. Why do you keep asking?"

"You've been drinking at school."

Revali blinked. "You've noticed?"

"Yes, I've noticed!" Link squeezed his eyes shut, hands shaking. "I've been scared for you for months now. I knew you would come to school hungover on Mondays, and I knew that you probably had someone you kept on the down low you were having sex with on the weekends. But recently? You've started to scare me."

He sputtered. "How have I-"

"You didn't used to drink at school! You were always on top of everything and when it's due, and now we have to remind you sometimes. I saw some of your text messages and-"

"Hold up." Revali held up a single finger. "You've been reading my texts?"

Link could feel himself go pale. "I saw one or two over your shoulder."

"Well, that's hardly something to base anything off of."

"Revali, these texts were... Sexual."

He scoffed. "No they weren't. I don't sext."

"Well they were more sexual than I expected to see looking over your shoulder! Things about someone telling you what to wear, and-" Link stopped when he realized how wide Revali's eyes had gotten.

He shook his head, a nervous laugh bubbling from his throat. "Those were jokes between my friend and I."

"Which friend?"

"What are you, my mom?" Revali laughed. "One of my friends from archery, they don't go to our school."

"What's their name?" 

"What?"

"What's their name?" He repeated, frowning. 

"I-" Revali groaned. "Oh, never mind. You can't prove anything, anyway. There's nothing going on, you're pulling at-"

"Revali, can you show me your wrists?"

"...straws." He finished. "I'm not cutting myself, Link."

"I know you're not, but... Please." Link asked. "If nothing is wrong than-"

Revali covered his mouth, turning away. "Oh, what the hell? I can never hide things from you anyway."

Link was alarmed to realize that he had started to cry. Not silent tears that just ran down your face, like when they watched movies together or something, but real sobs.  
He was struck with the realization that he had never really seen Revali cry before, not like this. This was a full breakdown. With all his heart, Link wished he could fix everything and make it all better. He would do anything, if it meant he would never cry like this again.

"His name is Ganondorf, Ganondorf Dragmire." Revali explained, wiping the tears from his makeup smeared eyes. "I met him at the beginning of the school year, and... We hit it off. Everything was fine, except, well..."

He shook his head. "I've been drinking for years. I sneak out to this shady little gay bar called The Slippery Falcon. I made 'friends' with the bartender. But that's not where..."

He broke down, sobbing harder. Link found himself pulling him into a hug, trying to do everything he could to comfort him. That didn't seem to help, but Revali buried his face in Link's hoodie. The smell of alcohol was faint, but lingered on him. He had probably been drinking more since school.

Revali pulled away, swallowing and wiping his eyes once more. "We started dating, and everything was fine. We'd drink together, have sex, but never really anything personal, you know? I liked him, but... I think it was just infatuation. It wasn't a real crush." He shook his head. "But it lasted. Finally, I broke down. I couldn't keep lying to him, so I told him that I wasn't actually... an adult."

"He didn't already know?" Link blurted, his stomach dropping.

Revali shook his head. "He didn't. He was a random adult I met at the Slippery Falcon one night, who I went home with. The worst part was..." He swallowed again. "He knew. He told me that he knew from the start. He said that in his, that I needed to just... Keep up the act, you know?"

More bitter, nervous laughter. Link didn't know if it was sad, or terrifying. Definitely both.

"So I did. And he told me not to tell anyone. He told me not to-"

He broke down sobbing again, and Link just held him. That was all he could do, after all. All he could do. Squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed to anything he could think of that he'd be okay.

***

(Revali)

Once Link left, Revali felt... Numb. Empty. All his energy was spent crying, and he wasn't left with anything. That empty feeling seemed to spread to his entire body, replacing it with something else.

Loneliness.

Revali was lonely, for certain. All he wanted was someone beside him. Someone to hold him and tell him that he's perfect and-  
Glancing over at his phone, Revali picked it up and found Gan in his contacts. Taking in a deep breath, he called.

Voicemail. He tried again, with the same result. His phone must be on silent.

(Revali): Hey, you busy tonight?

And he waited. And waited. Until it had been fifteen minutes, and Gan still hadn't responded.

(Revali): I'll take that as a yes

(Revali): I'll be at the Slippery Falcon, if you want to stop there after work <3

Still no reply. It showed that Gan had read the messages, but he wasn't typing a reply.

Tears welled up in Revali's eyes again as he set down his phone, and looked for what he should wear. He knew what Gan liked on him: short skirts and dresses, very high heels, and chokers. Maybe a schoolgirl skirt? No, he wasn't looking to get carded., even if his boyfriends name got him out of trouble.

He only hoped that Gan would show.

***

"Hey, Nekk."

Revali knew he looked incredible as he slid up to the bar. His hair was down and curled, just like Gan liked it. His white short sleeved crop top almost played with innocence, but paired with the high waisted, black pleated skirt and little leather choker? Not so much. His boots didn't have a very high heel, but enough to command attention with every step. His eyeliner was so sharp it could cut a man, his lower lash line rimmed in red.

"Hey, Revali." He smirked as he leaned across the bar. "Whatcha need?"

"I'm looking for Gan." 

Nekk frowned.

"Ganondorf Dragmire?" Revali repeated. "The big scary boyfriend?"

"No, I... I know who you're talking about, gorgeous." He swallowed. "Just, uh... He told me to tell you something."

Instantly, he felt himself perk up. "Well? What is it?"

Revali's heart pounded in his chest as Nekk slowly dried off the glass he was holding. He set it down firmly on the counter space, then started making a drink.

"Come on, Nekk. What did he tell you?"

Busy shaking the cocktail, Nekk didn't answer. Hell, he didn't even meet Revali's eyes. What was it?  
A sense of dread was already seeping into Revali's gut.

Nek poured the drink, then slid it across to him. "You'll wanna drink this first."

"I can't pay you." Revali pushed the drink back. "I'm dating Gan now."

"About that..." He swallowed. "He told me to tell you he was leaving town."

Pushing down his anxious thoughts, Revali chuckled. "So? Long distance..."

"He's breaking up with you." Nekk finalized. "He told me to tell you not to text him anymore."

The world was spinning a hundred miles an hour around Revali. On one hand, he hated being with Gan. It was awful with him hurting and controlling like that. But on the other hand... Gan was safe. Revali didn't go out and sleep with just anyone, he had a guy who would stay with him. He never had to worry about Gan, because he was... He was...

He didn't want him anymore?

He was how Revali got alcohol. He was the one who told him that he looked good. He was the one he dressed himself in the morning for, the one he texted day and night, the one who took him to dinner when his parents were out of town. Gan was secure and grounded. He was so nice sometimes, all soft eyes and gentle touches. When Revali would cry because he was drunk or on drugs and confused, he would hold him. Hell, he took him to the ER once when someone slipped something in his drink. That's dedication.

So why was he gone now?

Revali shook his head, eyes filling with tears. In ten seconds he'd downed the drink, and pushed the glass back to Nekk.

"I'll need something stronger than that... If our agreement is still up, that is."

He nodded. "How could I say no to a pretty face like yours?"

So Revali drank. And drank. Until the world was spinning and his body felt warm and heavy and he didn't mind the way Nekk just touched him; he only tripped over to the bathroom to wash up. He looked a mess, he knew, but it wasn't like he cared that much right now. Who even cared what he looked like? Gan didn't. Nekk only cared about his mouth.  
Trying to make sense of his lipstick, Revali's eyes lingered a little lower. In the mirror and the fluorescent lights of the bathroom the hickeys on his neck were obvious. Gan must have left them the other night... Or was that last night? It was, because only this morning he was getting dressed to cover the matching bruises on his wrists from his hands.

How did Gan leave? Didn't he do everything to make him happy? Sure, he pressed his buttons. Revali knew that he got too bossy sometimes, and Gan didn't like that. But was that at reason to leave him though? Not even bothering to tell him in person, but telling a bartender to tell Revali next time he went to he bar?  
Sick to his stomach, Revali stumbled over to the toilet and puked. Now there was vomit in his hair that he knew he couldn't get out, his lipstick was ruined, and tears were dragging down his face and dripping into to dirty toilet water. Just looking at it made him wretch again, beforehand pulled back to recompose himself.

He was sitting on the tiled floor of the Slippery Falcon. The tiles were cold against his butt, and the edges were rough as he trailed his fingertips on them. And yet, all the pieces fit together perfectly. There were all great. He wondered how all the tiles were the same like that, and if that made them happy.  
Happy. Revali started to cry. How did he get into this mess? He was just looking for a good time, and ended up being played by... 

By Gan.

Gan never really cared about him.

It was just like Nekk, wasn't it? He didn't really care at all, and just pretended to get sex. That's all anyone wants these days, all anyone wants from him. He messes around, gets attached, and gets his heart broken because the man he devoted himself to just loved his body.

He wondered if Link was like that... Just loved his body. He was beautiful, after all. And Link cared so much about him.  
But maybe he didn't. Maybe he was just pretending to care about him for sex, just like everyone else seemed to do.

The world was still spinning too fast, spiraling around his head, making him dizzy. Closing his eyes, Revali tried to get some relief. His body was hot and the tile floor was cool, nice and cold. Slowly, he lowered himself to the floor, vomited again, and passed out.


	3. III

Link's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel of his shitty little jeep, trying to breathe as he was stuck in traffic. The minute he had gotten the texts he was out the door, using his phone to look up directions to the Slippery Falcon.  
He knew that he couldn't get in when he got there. He was 4"10, chubby, and looked like a twelve year old. But still. He had to do it.

(Revali): Do you really live me? Ot do You just like everyone else?

(Revali): or an j just drunk 

(Revali): I lovd you 

The first place he headed was Revali's house. He snuck in through the garage, with the key he got from under the flowerpot, and checked his room.

Nothing. Empty. The clothes he had been wearing earlier were strewn across the room. His phone was no where to be found, and his curling iron was still plugged in. 

The light changed, and Link breathed a sigh of relief as he kept going. He didn't know how long he had, with Revali having texted him drunk fifteen minutes ago and approximately... Seven and a half minutes until he got to the bar.  
He barely remembered the name of the place, but searching gay bars in the area made finding the name easy. Especially with a name like The Slippery Falcon. It sounded like an old style tavern, even though he could guess that it was definitely not. Not if Revali liked it.  
Link frowned. He always knew that Revali was a risk taker; the guy loved thrill more than anything. Going on roller coasters with him was a blast. But he always thought it was just things like that: roller coasters and horror movies that full you with adrenaline. Not...

Sneaking into clubs? Drinking this heavily? Dating adults? Having sex with adults?

He would be lying if he said it wasn't completely obvious in retrospect. Revali, who thrived off his archery records and possible future valedictorian level grades, loved attention. And if he didn't think he was getting enough of it...

Flicking his turn signal, Link moved over to the right lane. He was almost at the bar now, only a couple streets away. The longer he was in the area, the less he liked Revali walking here alone at night. Especially with the way he dresses. It just isn't safe.  
But then again, he's not safe, Link reminded himself. Who knows if he's okay, or if he's even at the bar?

Biting at his lip, Link tried to silence himself for the rest of the drive. Worrying wasn't helping him any. Swallowing his fear, he pulled into the little parking lot, found a spot, and parked as quickly as he could. Rushing out of the car, he was out of breath by the time he got to the line. Thankfully, thanks to the fact it was Thursday night, it was fairly short.  
Link scratched at the back of his neck, watching as the bouncer carded person after person. Swallowing, he stood up a little straighter, and pushed his bangs out of his face. He squared his shoulders, cleared his throat, and stepped forward.

"Can I see your ID?" The bouncer, a tall woman with long red hair and shocking white lipstick, asked in a firm voice.

Link opened his mouth, and no words came out. What did he think was going to happen? He was mostly non-verbal, for fuck's sale. He wasn't going to magically talk now.

Instead, he held up his hands. "Do you know sign?"

She nodded. "Yes. Can I see your ID?"

"I'm just here to pick up a friend."

"You still need ID."

"He's drunk." Link tried.

She shook her head.

Worth a shot. "My friend is Revali."

Spelling out the name took a moment, but her eyes widened in recognition.

"His boyfriend is Ganondorf?"

Link guessed at the spelling, he really did, but she waved him on anyway.

"Just this once. Remember your ID next time."

Nodding, he ducked inside. Immediately, the sound and lights was too much for him. Link was glad he thought to grab a pair of sunglasses, and hurriedly took them out of his hoodie pocket and put them on. Admittedly, he brought them for Revali, in case he was having too much trouble, but he definitely needed them himself. Not much could be done for the noise, so he clenched his teeth and moved on to the bar.

The bartender was attractive, in a greasy kind of way. His blonde hair was styled up, his eyes squinting as he looked Link over.

"Can I see your ID?"

Link tried opening his mouth again, but decided against it. "Do you know sign?"

"A little." He signed back. "ID?"

"Is a guy named Revali here? Short, wears-"

The bartender nodded. "He just went to the bathroom. Warning though, he's... Drunk."

Link nodded. "I'm picking him up."

"Good. Tell him I'm sorry about the boyfriend."

More confused than before, Link made his way to the men's bathroom. Sure enough, there, on the floor, was Revali.

His skirt was hiked up a nearly obscene degree, making Link blush and look away for a moment. His white crop top was stained with puke from the puddle on the floor. A mess of hair hid his face, but he could guess at the state of that, too.  
Taking a deep breath through his mouth, to avoid the smell, Link moved to his side. Gentle, he brushed the hair from Revali's face. He was out cold. No response when Link shook his shoulder, clapped in his face... Nothing. He was breathing softly, chest rising and falling just that little bit that gave Link hope.

Carefully, he scooped up is unconscious friend and stood up. Admittedly, even though he's been working out, Link wasn't very strong, but Revali was light enough that he could carry him fairly well. The real problem would be the people. Getting around them could be a nightmare.

So Link took a deep breath, shifted Revali in his arms, and pushed open the door.

***

(Revali)

When Revali woke up, he felt like shit. His head was pounding, his vision felt out of focus, and he was going to-

He leaned over the bed and puked into an already waiting bucket.

Wait. Where was he?

Revali looked down at the bed, and was hit with the realization that he was home. But how? He had gone to the bar last night, and... He didn't remember anything. Who-

Link walked into his room from the hall, toothbrush still in his mouth.

Of course he had. A little bit of guilt settled in Revali's chest, before quickly being replaced by nausea. He leaned over the bed again, and vomited again. The bile stung his throat. Wiping his mouth on his already filthy shirt, he leaned back into bed. 

"Can you turn off the lights?" Revali croaked, his throat hoarse. "My head hurts like death."

Link nodded, and turned off the lights. The window let in enough to see, anyway.

"Be right back." He signed, then left the room.

Probably to go finish brushing his teeth, Revali guessed. Since when did he have a toothbrush here? He didn't know, and with this headache? He didn't care. Turning the light off had helped some, though. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to remember last night.

Gan broke up with him. He just left.

After that he was a drunk mess; so drunk that Link came and picked him up. He probably texted him to. Revali had a nasty habit of texting when drunk, so he usually didn't take his phone out with him. Thankfully he had... And thankfully it was sitting on the dresser next to him, so it had clearly made it back with him. That was good.   
Wait. Wasn't...

Link walked back into the room.

"Hey, isn't it a school day?" Revali asked, sitting up a little more.

He nodded.

Revali checked his phone; 9:48am. "Why aren't we at school?"

Link walked over and say at the foot of the bed. "Because you're sick." 

"And what about you?"

"We're both sick."

Revali shook his head. "And what's the likelihood they believe that?"

"I told your mom that you called me in the night, and told me you were sick, so I came over." Link explained. "I told her you had a fever earlier, and that you puked. She called you in sick, and I told my aunts what's going on, so one of them called me in sick."

He blinked. "Well, you thought that out."

Link shrugged. "I didn't want you to get in trouble."

"You know how much trouble I would be in?" Revali laughed. "Underage drinking, that's a legal charge right there. And that's before my mother murders me."

A sad smile rested on Link's face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Is that true?"

"I..." He laughed again, shaking his head. "I want to say yes. You know I do."

Link swallowed, then looked down at his lap. Revali took a deep breath.

"I don't think I am." He whispered. "I... Gan-"

Despite his best efforts, tears started to well up in Revali's eyes. "Gan broke up with me. Didn't even bother- answer the phone or any texts- just told the bar-"

Crying was making his head feel worse, but Revali couldn't care. All he did was curl up and cry, shoulders shaking.

"I hate him. Why do I-" he choked. "I don't know. I don't know."

Link's arms wrapped around him, and Revali shifted to be crying into his shoulder. He could sort out his feelings for Gan later, when his stomach didn't feel like it was rolling and his throat didn't burn and his head wasn't pounding. He had time.  
And Link was still there for him.

***

The next day was less physical torture, more mental. Link had stayed with him almost all of the day, making black coffee, convincing Revali to drink water, and being a solid shoulder to cry on. He had texted Link already, apologizing for what a mess he had been, but he shrugged it off. He said that he was just happy to be able to help him.

Damn Link and how much he just wanted to help people. It made Revali's insides crawl, wondering what he wanted from him. But at the same time... Part of him  
wanted to accept Link's help. Of course, the other parts were split between suspicion, and wanting to look perfect to him.

Wait. When did he want to impress Link?

Did he want to impress Link? That was weird to think about. But, come to think of it... Link was always there for him. They studied together, worked together. When one of them had to wash their parent/legal guardians car, they did it together. He was ride or die.  
Link had gone to a nasty bar, somehow gotten in, all to pick him up and take him home because he was passed out in a pool of his own vomit in the bathroom. That was embarrassing. The part of him that wanted to impress Link was screaming, begging him to just bury his face in his pillow and never breathe again.

Thoughts like that seemed to cycle through, as Revali went through his Saturday. By the time he got to bed he was exhausted, passing out instantly. Being so violently ill that morning and crying so much had really made him tired.  
And the next day, Sunday, he did it all again. All the thoughts, all the doubts, but fewer tears when he thought about Gan. He was back to feeling angry... But what if that was what drive Gan away? He didn't know, and he couldn't figure it out.

When Revali went to bed, there wasn't a tired bone in his body. His brain was exhausted, but his eyes were wide open. There was no way he was getting to sleep, and with tomorrow being Monday...

(Revali): Hey Link

(Link): How're you doing?

(Revali): What if I just wanted to talk to you?

(Link): so not well?

Shaking his head, Revali couldn't help the little smile that crept onto his face. Link was such an ass sometimes and... Why did he find that adorable? Had he always been this interested in him? He knew that he was adorable, but...

(Revali): You could say that.

(Link): hold up

(Link): I'll be right there

(Revali): You don't have to

(Link): but I want to

(Revali): Fine

(Revali): Just be really quiet.

Link sent a thumbs up, and Revali turned off his phone. He felt so... Guilty. Having Link come get him, then take care of him, then come over late at night because he can't sleep? It made him feel sick to his stomach. He felt like he owed him, like he needed to do something for him.

What would Link even want?

Revali held onto that thought, trying not to panic while he was waiting for him to come over. Thoughts still cycled through his head, but he tried to block them out. All he wanted was a drink, but he doubted Link would appreciate t if he showed up and Revali was drunk.

Besides, how much alcohol did he even have left? Not very many of those little bottles, that's for sure. He had to save them... If he could.

Finally, his doorknob jangled, and Revali got up to open the door. Link was still in his pajama pants, patterned with little fish.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late, I-"

"It's no problem." Link interrupted, stepping in and elbowing Revali lightly. "I mean, I kind of love you."

Revali knew he meant that in a friend type of way, but he couldn't help but want more.

"Of course you do, who doesn't?" He laughed, but the sound died in his throat.

Gan. Gan certainly didn't love him, that was for sure.

"You should... Sit down." Link signed slowly, guiding Revali over to the bed. "So, do you need to talk about it, or a distraction?"

Revali frowned for a moment, before giving a little nod. "Distraction."

He grinned. "Well, I came prepared."

Sliding off his backpack, Link unzipped it to reveal a variety of awful, cliche old movies. Revali was fairly sure he saw High School Musical. He hadn't watched that shit since middle school. Near the bottom of the bag was a package of dark chocolate chips.

"You know that you shouldn't have."

Link smiled. "Yeah, but that's what friends do."

They met eyes, and everything seemed to slow down. The only light coming in was from the window, making Link look unreal. His eyes were bright and so damn blue, blinking slowly with those beautiful lashes. Revali could feel his heart racing, blood rushing in his ears. Slowly, he cupped Link's face in his hand, leaned in, and-

"Stop." Link pushed him back, gently.

"Sorry, I-"

"No, I don't-"

"I shouldn't have-"

"No, Revali." Link shook his head. "I... I really like you too, but..." His hands were shaking. "I don't want to hurt you. Things with you are still..."

"Fragile?" The word felt bitter on his tongue.

Link winced. "You could say it like that."

"You don't want to be a rebound?"

"I don't want..." He frowned. "Never mind. You're right."

Revali sighed, trying to push the pry of him that just wanted to pin him to the bed aside. "So, High a School Musical, or Mean Girls?"

Link shrugged. "You pick."

"You know full well that I... High School Musical. As long as I can make fun of them the whole time."

They both laughed at that, put on the movie, and everything felt fine. It was okay. Just having someone next to him in bed made Revali feel... Safer. He didn't realize how used to those little naps with Gan he was.

"I think I'm falling asleep." Revali muttered, about halfway through the movie.

"Same."

He turned to Link. "Do you have to go?" 

Revali cursed the little wobble in his voice, how desperate he sounded.

Link shook his head. "No, I'll stay here."

Sighing in relief, Revali turned of his computer and set it down on the nightstand.

"Goodnight, Link."

And Link cuddled in closer, making Revali's heart melt.

Still, there was a certain guilt about cuddling him, too. What if Gan-

Gan doesn't care, he reminded himself. Just let me have this.

"I love you." He whispered when he was sure Link was asleep.


	4. IV

(Link)

Link woke up before Revali, all spread out in his bed, sleeping next to his crush himself. They had slept together before, sleepovers and all that, and every time Link woke up feeling like this. Though, usually it wasn't this much.

Revali had almost kissed him. They were only inches apart, and he pushed him away. Link was torn between the feelings he'd had for Revali since they met, and how strange things were now.  
Deep down, Link knew he made the right choice. He didn't want to replace Gan in his life, especially when their relationship had seemed so unhealthy. I mean, the guy was an adult who knew his 'boyfriend' was a sixteen year old. Even though that was technically legal in their state, it was disgusting. And the way he... Link just had this sense that he was controlling Revali. What he wore, maybe even how much he was eating. Link knew it sure as hell wasn't much. He didn't want to become that force in Revali's life.

It scared him. It scared him how much Revali seemed to have changed, just because of this man. He felt sick just thinking about it.

But he also couldn't believe Revali almost kissed him.

But there Revali was, lying right next to him, sleeping so soundly. Looking at him like this, Link could almost forget how he found him on Thursday night. He was wearing no makeup, as opposed to the smeared mess that had covered most of his face. Instead of being a tangled mess, his slightly damp hair was put in four braids, so it'd be wavy in the morning. His little, silky sleep shirt was clean. He looked... Healthy. Not like he had been blackout drunk just a few nights ago. Not like he had been drinking at school, for certain. He looked just like the overachiever Link accidentally fell in love with.

Even though he had changed, that part was still the same. And he still couldn't look at his lips, because that would make Link want to kiss him more.

That's when Revali's alarm went off, and they both got up to get ready. Still, he couldn't keep his eyes off Revali.

***

The week passed by in a blur of Link worrying about Revali. Thankfully, there were no more drunk messes to clean up. Actually, Link didn't even think Revali had been drinking. That he knew of, of course. He was still as busy as ever, weekdays. 

Weekends were the real problem, though. Link needed to make sure that Revali didn't go back to that bar again. He didn't know what would happen if he did. Whatever it was, it'd be bad.  
But, with his mom, sleepovers with more than just one person over at Revali's house were impossible. And it had to be at his house, because he wasn't allowed to spend the night anywhere else. It was weird to think about how strict she was with... Current circumstances.

"Hey Vali, think I could come over tonight?" Link asked before anyone else got to the lunch table. "Or, as many of us you can convince your mom to have over."

"Any special occasion?" Revali scoffed, back to the haughty persona he put on at school.

It was impressive, really. He should try out for the next school play.

Link shrugged. "It's been a long time, since we have, you know."

"You were just over last weekend."

"And?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Revali blushed and turned away, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can convince her to do."

"Great." Link grinned. "I mean, she loves Urbosa."

He nodded. "She really does. Daruk, too. Thinks he's a 'grounding influence' or some shit."

"I mean..." Link shrugged. "She's not wrong."

"I'll have to try for Mipha and Zelda, though. She doesn't know them as well." Revali said, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself. "Besides, that's a lot of people. Like, five. In my tiny room."

"True."

"But, she might be happy because I did well on that test yesterday, so maybe..." He trailed off. "Do you think. Could convince her it's someone's birthday?"

"Probably." Link broke into a grin.

"And it's only Wednesday, that's quite a bit of notice."

"Again, true."

"I'll see what I can do."

***

(Revali)

The longer Revali spent around Link, the more convinced he became that he liked him the whole time. How many guys had he turned down, just because they had pretty blue eyes like him? Because they were short? Because their faces were round and wide eyed, their hands gentle?

Link was the practical opposite of what 'his type' had become, and that was probably what made him so attractive. That, and the fact that he actually cared.

But did he? Revali thought that Gan really cared, after all. How many times had his hands been soft and gentle and kind? How many times had he been tender, holding him nicely as Revali used his chest like a pillow? He had been kind. So what about Link?  
When he thought about Link, his heart pounded in his chest. His head spun. Link made him feel warm, and safe... But so did Gan.

Shaking his head, Revali slid his Literature book back into his backpack, the last of his homework. His friends would be over soon, pretending that it was Mipha's birthday. They had all taken things that were already hers and gift wrapped them, to be more convincing.  
It was funny, the lengths they went through to do this. They really did care about him, so why was it so hard to believe it? They had been his friends for years.

Years. It had been years now of crushing on Link, then going to the Slippery Falcon and drowning that out with alcohol and sex. He had pushed it back so well that he almost believed that he wasn't crushing on him. Avoiding him had worked for that long, but now...  
He didn't ever think Link would like him back. Revali knew who he was at school: top grades in his class, archery champion, dresses like a slut. That's what it was. When people tried to talk to him, he was bitchy to them. That's just what he did. 

It was ridiculous.

But, there was someone who loved it, even just for a little while...  
Revali stared at his phone, trying not to give in to the temptation of calling Gan again. He wanted to, that's all he wanted to do. Loving Link was hard, frustrating, and... Gan had been so easy. Everything had worked. It would have worked if he wasn't so... So...

Revali picked up the phone, found his number, and called.

*Ring ring*

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his nerves.

*Ring ring*

He knew, realistically, that he wouldn't pick up. At the very least, he would hear his voice though.

*Ring ring*

If Gan hadn't picked up now, he wasn't about to. He waited it out though, until he got to what he was waiting for.

"Hello, this is Ganondorf Dragmire. I am not available at the moment. Please leave a message, and I will try to get back to you."

Even over the phone, his voice was deep and melodic. It was torturous, listening. Revali almost cried, barely blinking it back to save his eyeliner. His friends would be here soon, after all. He needed to get some waterproof eyeliner, one of these days.

The tone went off, and Revali took a deep breath.

"This is Revali, I... Wanted to know if we could meet up sometime. I mean, I don't think you actually left town, and... Oh, fuck it. What did I do wrong? Please, just... Call me back or don't, I don't care. But what you did was cowardly, breaking up with me like that. Using the bartender?" He choked on a sob, barely containing his tears. "Whatever. Bye, Gan."

He hung up, then went to the bathroom to fix his makeup. His friends would be there in a few minutes, after all, and he couldn't let them know anything but perfection.

Maybe that was his problem. He wasn't perfect enough. He always talked back, made snide remarks, flirted with other guys for his attention; maybe it was just too much.

A knock on the door startled Revali out of his thoughts, and he put them away to put on a smile.

***

Another week passed in a blur, and Revali called three more times, sometimes leaving messages, sometimes not. Either way, it was Friday again, and he was giving his phone that same look. He did want to be an over-obsessed ex, but he couldn't admit that he loved Link so he had to be putting those feelings somewhere else.

And it wasn't his fault that's where those feelings fit.

The phone seemed to stare back at him, the contact photo of himself and Gan together haunting him. It wasn't fair, it wasn't alright. He couldn't keep calling like this, but...

One more time. Only one more.

So he pressed the contact, and waited for the voicemail. In his head he prepared what he would say, if he would leave a message at all. What more was there to say? He already said too much.

"Hello, Revali."

He had picked up the phone. Revali nearly hung up, he was so surprised.

"Before you say anything, stop calling me." Gan said in a bored voice, with what he could only call a disappointed sigh. "We're done. We were barely anything to begin with and you know it."

Revali swallowed, but Gan wasn't finished. 

"I left because I was bored with you. It was just time. Nothing personal, of course."

Of course. Revali could choke.

"Goodbye, Revali. And delete my number before I have to block yours."

He hung up. It felt like the whole world was crashing down on Revali, breaking him beneath its weight. But of course, it's nothing personal. The world was just done with him.

Nothing personal.

The ocean crushing him beneath its pressure, simply because it's bored. It was just time for him so be broken apart, after all.

Nothing personal.

After so long of being everything Gan asked for, dressing how he wanted, changing how much he ate to be a little thinner, doing things when they had sex he never wanted to do because Gan was into it? After all that, he was just... Bored. It was just time for him to go.

They were never really anything to begin with.

Revali could feel the bile rising in his throat. He grabbed his trash can just enough to vomit into it instead of on the floor.

Nothing personal.

He flopped back onto his bed, feeling the burn of his throat and watching the time tick by on the clock. It was past the time he should have left to go meet up with his friends at the mall, but he didn't care. It was all just... He couldn't go now. His body wouldn't even move. He felt heavy, like his body was made of metal, holding him down.

Nothing personal.

We were never really anything to begin with.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feels a little silly to finish this up on Christmas Day, but... Happy Holidays? Consider it my gift to you <3

(Link)

"Was Revali planning on showing up?" Zelda frowned, checking the time on her phone. "I thought he said that he was."

"He was." Link confirmed. "What time is it?"

"6:43."

"Yikes." Daruk cracked his neck. "I mean, does he need a ride?"

"He didn't tell me, if he does." Link took out his phone. "I'll text him."

A million thoughts were running through his head about the state Revali could be in right now. What if he's drunk? What if he's at the bar? What if Gan found him and-

(Link): Hey you okay?

No response.

(Link): do you need a ride?

He waited, but still... Nothing.

Link slid his phone back into his pocket. "He's not answering texts."

"Maybe his phone is dead?" Mipha guessed.

"His phone is never dead." Zelda reminded. "He's always on it, too."

"I'll go see what's up." Link offered, shrugging his coat back on. "You guys go ahead, I'll text you if something comes up."

Mipha nodded. "Alright, drive safe!"

With that Link rushed out of the mall, going as fast as he could without getting stopped by mall security. The cold hit him like a wall as soon as he was outside, knocking the breath out of his lungs, but that didn't slow him down. He could only hope that Revali wasn't at the Slippery Falcon. Walking there, dressed like he normally does, would be practical suicide.  
Link found his car, and got on his way. The mall wasn't too far away from where Revali lived, so it wasn't long before he was parked outside Revali's house. Trying to keep from panicking, he forced himself to knock slowly.

Mrs. Gale answered the door. "Oh, Revali is sick again, he can't hang out."

Link's heart skipped a beat. "I know. He texted me to ask if I could come over."

"Well, he forgot to inform me." She frowned, then shook her head. "Come in, it's cold. He's in his room."

"Thank you."

Link shivered as he stepped inside, taking off his coat and sliding out of his sneakers. Sick? That could mean a whole lot of things, but his mind jumped to what it had meant most recently: he was drunk. He didn't want it to be true, but still, it did seem most likely.   
Quickly, he got down the stairs, around the corner, and down the hall to Revali's room. Holding his breath, he knocked.

"What is it, mom?" Revali groaned, sounding, in fact, very much sick.

Link, slapping himself internally for being a dumbass, did their special knock.

"Link?" The door opened. "What're you doing here?"

Revali looked terrible. His eyeliner was running down his face, his lipstick was smudged off, his hair was a mess and... He had definitely puked recently. The smell was obvious. 

"You never showed up, so I was worried about you." He explained. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"No, I'm... I'm fine." Revali argued weakly, waving him off. "I'm good."

"There's puke in your hair."

He tried a lopsided smile. "It's just like that sometimes?"

"You're drunk."

Revali shook his head. "Shhhh, no I'm not."

"Your eyeliner is running down your face."

"It is?" Seeming genuinely surprised, he found a mirror to check. "I look awful."

"Yeah, let's get you cleaned up."

Revali sighed. "Alright... You shouldn't be here."

Link frowned. "Why not?"

"Because..." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then leaned against the wall. "I really like you."

Link blushed. "And?"

"And I'm drunk."

"I thought you said you weren't drunk?" 

"I wasn't. What're we doing?" Revali blinked, looking... Lost.

It was wrong. Everything about this felt wrong.

"Cleaning up your face... And hair."

"Oh, right." He giggled. "Come on, if I'm around you I should look perfect."

Revali lead the, tipsy, way to the bathroom, nearly falling a couple of times. What really mattered at the end of the day was that he didn't, but it still ran Link's anxiety through the roof.

"I like you too much for that, you know." Revali explained as he wiped at his face with water. "You deserve better, probably."

Link tried to respond, but instead just looked around for the actual makeup remover. 

"You deserve someone perfect. I'm not perfect." He said so matter-of-factly he could be talking about the color of the sky. "All I do is pretend until it's not good enough, then I get left behind."

"Revali, that's not true-"

"It's just still good enough for you, that's it." Revali argued. "We could date. Have sex a few times. I could try my best to give you everything that you want, but would I be able to?" He laughed, but tears kept running down his face. "No. I wouldn't. Then you'd leave."

"Revali, I'm not going to leave."

"Yes, you are!" He cried, dropping down to the floor. "You're just like him, and I only think you care."

"Revali..." Link knelt down, wiping some of his tears away. "I really do care about you."

"He said that too." Revali whispered, drawing his knees up to his chest. "But now what am I to him? Nothing personal? I hate him!"

Breaking into sobs, Revali hugged his legs, curling up into a little ball. Link rubbed his back softly, gently trying to coax him into relaxing. Slowly but surely, he got him calmed down enough to sit still.

"Can I wipe the makeup off your face?" 

Revali nodded.

Carefully, Link went in with the makeup wipe and took off the smudged eyeliner and lipstick. After that he cleaned up the rest of his face, still trying his best to be gentle. Then he got the vomit out of his hair with a warm, damp washcloth.

"Can you stand up?"

"Yeah." Revali swallowed, and used the counter to help himself up to his feet. "I'm not that drunk, just... Unstable. Or maybe I just feel a little more sober right now."

Link nodded, but still stood very close as they made their way back to his room, in case he needed any help. When they finally got there, Revali dumped himself on the bed nearly immediately. 

Link sighed, getting his attention enough to sign. "You still need to change clothes."

"Oh. You're right." Revali stood up on wobbly feet. "Can you grab my pajamas?"

Link looked for something more cozy, but settled for the set he had been wearing the other week: a pale pink silky tank top and shorts with black trim. He blushed just thinking about how Revali had looked wearing them before.

Now is not the time, Link reminded himself, handing the clothes to Revali.

"Thanks." Revali leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

Now Link was really blushing. Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone to text the group.

(Link): Revali's sick I'm gonna stay here with him for a bit

(Zelda): Sick, or... ;)

(Link): your sick

(Mipha): *you're

(Mipha): Tell him we say hi!

(Link): I will

"There we go. Done!" Revali announced, then fell into bed. "Can I sleep now?" 

Link sighed, then turned to Revali and tucked him in to bed. "Yes, goodnight, Revali."

He smiled. "Goodnight, Link. I love you."

Link's breath caught in his throat, but Revali was already asleep. Thinking to the morning, he put a bucket on one side of the bed and the trash can on the other... And emptied out the gross trash. The smell of vomit was one of the worst things on this planet, he was sure.  
After making sure Revali was tucked in one last time, he went to go join his friends and pretend that nothing happened.

***

Link went back over at about ten in the morning, to see how Revali was doing... And possibly have to clean up of otherwise take care of more puke. The things you do for love, he thought to himself, knocking on the door.

One of Revali's siblings answered, but they didn't say anything, just let him in. He was glad; if his mom answered, he wasn't sure if she would have let him in. Link rushed through getting his coat and shoes off, getting down the stairs, and opening the door to Revali's room.

"Are you just always over here now?" Revali rasped, his voice sounding awful. 

Link shrugged. "I guess. Need some water?"

"That would be amazing."

Going, getting the water, and coming back was quick, but Link's thoughts screamed at him the whole time. Most of them weren't worth thinking, but that didn't mean they weren't taking up space in his head. When he came back to the room, Revali was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks."

Link nodded, and sat next to him on the bed. 

"So... Do you want to talk about last night?"

"No."

"Okay, that's-"

Revali frowned, setting down his water. "I mean, not particularly, but I will."

"You know, you don't have to."

He shook his head. "You should know. I mean, you are the one who cleaned up my drunk ass and put me to bed."

"...yeah." Link agreed. "But you still don't owe me anything."

"Shut up and let me tell you." Taking a deep breath, Revali readjusted how he was sitting. "So, I called Gan."

Link couldn't help his disappointed sigh.

"Don't interrupt me. Anyway. I know it's bad, and..." His voice shook. "I called a few different times this week, but he didn't pick up... Until last night." He swallowed, shifting in his seat again. "He told me... That he was done with me, basically. That he got bored, and we never had anything to begin with."

Link tucked Revali's hair behind his ear.

He swallowed. "So I just... Feeling like I wasn't good enough was already... I'm having some trouble. It just feels like it's my fault-"

"It's not your fault." Link reassured him. "He was a full grown adult dating a high schooler. He's the guilty one."

Revali looked away. "I never should have dated him. It was against my rules, you know. I had a set of rules I went by, and... I think he broke all of them. I was so... Stupid. Fuck, I want a drink."

Link shook his head, turning Revali to face him again. "It's still not your fault."

"I don't believe you, but okay."

"Will you try?"

Revali opened his mouth, then closed it again. He swallowed, and turned his face away.

"Okay," he whispered. "I'll try."

Link smiled, and tucked the hair that had fallen back behind his ear. He could feel the tension between them, and resisted the urge to kiss Revali. It wouldn't be right.

"So..." Revali wet his lips. "Do you still feel the same way towards me?"

Link nodded.

"Even with me being such a mess?" 

Laughing, he nodded again. "Revali, you always get yourself in too deep. I know that about you, and I'm always going to be here to help you out of it."

Revali snickered. "I seriously thought you were going to say one thing romantic, but... Thank you, Link."

Link smiled. "When have you known me to say romantic things?"

"Never."

"Exactly, and we've always been rude or die. Now, you should go brush your teeth."

Revali snorted. "Is my breath that bad?"

"It could kill a man."

"Alright, alright." Revali pushed the covers off his legs and slid on his slippers. "Asshole."

Link did little finger guns as Revali left the room.

And when he came back he did kiss him, right in the doorway. Sure, things were messy between them, and with what was going on with Revali, but... He really did love him. What could he say, Revali was always a guy of extremes. 

"Did you just tell me to brush my teeth so you could kiss me?" Revali asked breathes sky when they pulled apart.

Blushing, Link nodded.

"Asshole," and Revali kissed him again.

Sure, things weren't all better now, but... They'd get there.

They'd get there.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr at Supertinywords!
> 
> Oneshot requests are open!
> 
> Comments are love <3


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